How did the Vredefort impact crater form in South Africa?

The Vredefort Dome in South Africa is the largest known meteorite impact structure on Earth, formed approximately 2.023 billion years ago.1

The crater was created when a massive asteroid, estimated to be 20–25 km (12–16 miles) in diameter, struck the planet at a high velocity, potentially reaching 25 km (16 miles) per second. This violent collision blasted away vast layers of rock and soil, creating an initial crater estimated to be 250–280 km (155–170 miles) across. Following the impact, the underlying granite shifted upward at the center of the depression, forming the characteristic dome structure.1

While billions of years of erosion and weathering have obscured the original crater walls, the site is confirmed as an impact structure through the presence of shatter cones—conical rock formations created by intense shock waves—that point toward the center of the dome. In 2005, the site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.12